Egyptology in the Torah: Biblical Archeology

Contrary to popular Egyptologist belief, the Torah does contain numerous hints of contemporary life in ancient Egypt.

The western world has a fascination with the culture of ancient Egypt. The image of the great stone sphinx guarding the lofty pyramiding tombs of the mummified pharaohs, as the once all-powerful king journeyed through the world of darkness, adds to the mysterious lure of ancient Egypt. Over 100,000 books have been written on this inscrutable land and its pharaohs, the first one being composed over 2000 years ago. By the time the Hellenistic historian, Manetho, composed his Aegyptiaca in the third century BCE, the pharaoh of the Exodus had already been mummified about 1,000 earlier.

For the Jewish People, ancient Egypt has a much deeper allure. Much of the first two books of the Torah takes place in Egypt. [1] The experience of the Israelites in Egypt is so important to the centrality of Judaism that the Exodus from Egypt is mentioned in the very opening of the Ten Commandments. "I am the Lord your God, who have brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery dus 20:2)"

Egyptologists have expressed disappointment that almost nothing relating to ancient Egyptian life or culture can be gleaned from the Bible. This has lead many, such as Egyptologist Donald Redford of Pennsylvania State University to disparagingly claim, "The Hebrew writer (of the Bible) was not so well acquainted with Egypt as has often been imagined." [2]

Egyptologists claim that the Torah was composed 8-10 centuries after the Exodus and the "Biblical author(s)" had no idea what was going on in ancient Egypt. They are mistaken.

For us, the lack of cultural references is quite understandable because the Torah is neither a history book nor an anthropological record of ancient societies but rather it is a guide for everyday life based on human nature and the spiritual loftiness of the Jewish soul and these elements are timeless. However, many Egyptologists have taken a different approach. They claim that the Torah was composed 8-10 centuries after the Exodus and the "Biblical author(s)" had no idea what was going on in ancient Egypt. Therefore, these Egyptologists claim, the Torah had no choice but to remain silent about ancient Egyptian practices.

Not only are they wrong about when the Torah was composed and by Whom, these Egyptologists are also quite mistaken if they think there are no revelations to be found in the Torah reflecting ancient Egyptian life. Let us see for ourselves.

1. "And they sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for 20 pieces of silver; and they brought Joseph to Egypt" (Genesis 37:28). In ancient times, just as in our day and age, prices slowly but steadily increased over the course of time. In ancient Ur, circa 2000 BCE, a slave would cost 10-15 pieces of silver (shekels). During the reign of the Hammurabi dynasty, the price increased slightly, to about 20 pieces of silver. For a while, the price of a slave remained fairly stable but by the last quarter of the second millennium BCE., the price crept up to 30 shekels. During the first quarter of the Assyrian Empire, a healthy slave could fetch 50-60 pieces of silver and by the middle of the first millennium, the price of a slave soared to over 100 shekels.[3] When the Torah tells us that Joseph was sold for 20 pieces of silver it was an accurate reflection of the price of a slave in Canaan/Egypt at that time period, about 1500 BCE according to our Biblical chronology.

2. The Torah (Genesis 37:36) tells us that the name of Joseph's slave-master was Potiphar. It later tells us that Joseph's wife's name was Asenath (Genesis 41:45). These were in fact Egyptian names in use in Egypt during the time of Joseph, though they were quite unusual and later fell into disuse. Biblical "author(s)" not aware of these obscure ancient names could never have used them.[4]

Torah uses the exact expression the contemporary Egyptians used for the foreman of the servants and slaves.

3. The Torah tells us that Joseph was the overseer of Potiphar's estate. There are many possible titles one can give the chief slave or servant. The Torah chose to call Joseph the one "Over the house" (Genesis 39:4). The Papyrus Brooklyn 53.1446 refers to a chief slave and gives his proper title as the one who was "Over the house."[5] We see that the Torah is using the exact expression the contemporary Egyptians used for the foreman of the servants and slaves.

4- "And Joseph's master took him, and put him in the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were confined" (Genesis 39:20). Due to the false accusations of Potiphar's wife, Joseph was thrown into a prison. The concept of imprisonment was not widespread in the ancient world of the early Biblical era. In the Torah itself, we do not find any mention of imprisonment being a form of punishment. We do find that the son of Shelomith, who cursed God, was held in confinement, but that was only until the correct punishment could be determined. The actual detention was not a punishment. In the ancient world, those convicted of crimes were generally killed, tortured, mutilated or made to compensate monetarily. The concept of imprisonment was almost unheard of. Egypt was one of the very few exceptions to have prisons. Many of the isolated fortresses that guarded the borders of ancient Egypt also served as royal prisons.[6]

5. "Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon; and he shaved himself, and changed his garment, and came in to Pharaoh." (Genesis 41:14) Joseph, known to be an interpreter of dreams, was taken out of prison to be brought before the pharaoh to interpret pharaoh's dream. But first, Joseph had to shave to make himself more presentable to the king.

Throughout the ancient Middle East, beards were considered the norm, especially among "Asiatics" such as the Israelites. In fact the longer and more styled the beard, the greater the admiration. The common folk had shorter, trimmed beards. The king was depicted with a long tightly curled beard. The exception to this rule was in Egypt. Egyptians are rarely depicted with beards and those few times that they are depicted with facial hair, it is usually the pharaoh and not any of his subjects. In Egyptian tomb and temple depictions, enemies are often depicted with beards. The Biblical "author(s)" seem to be very aware that proper Egyptian etiquette demanded that Joseph had to shave before entering the presence of the pharaoh, unlike anywhere else in the ancient world.

6. Pharaoh had a dream in which "… behold, I stood upon the bank of the river. And, behold, there came up from the river seven cows, fat and beautiful; and they fed in the reed grass. And, behold, seven other cows came up after them, scrawny and very gaunt and thin, such as I have never seen in all the land of Egypt for badness. And the thin and the gaunt cows ate the first seven fat cows. And when they had eaten them up, it could not be known that they had eaten them; but they were still inferior as before." (Genesis 41:18-21)

Joseph interpreted the dream to be a sign of the fate that was in store for Egypt. There would be seven years of plentiful harvest. Those years would be followed by seven years of famine. The famine would be so severe that people would not be able to recall the years of plenty. Though Pharaoh had consulted his wise men as to the meaning of the dream, they could not explain it in such a manner that would satisfy the pharaoh. Why did the pharaoh find Joseph's interpretation acceptable? Why did it ring true?

In Egyptian mythology, the goddess of fate was Hathor, the cow-goddess. Ancient Egyptians believed that at the birth of a child, Hathor would appear in all her seven forms and decree the fate of the newborn.[7] When the pharaoh saw seven cows in his dream, he knew that is was an omen of the future of Egypt, but he knew not what that was until Joseph interpreted the dream. Had the Biblical "author(s)" invented this story a thousand years later, it would have been truly amazing for them to be aware of this little-known tidbit of ancient Egyptian mythology.

7. "And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand, and arrayed him in garments of fine linen, and put a gold collar about his neck" (Genesis 41:42). Joseph advised the pharaoh to store a portion of the harvest in granaries during the years of plenty to be used during the years of famine. Pharaoh acknowledged the wisdom of Joseph and made him the viceroy. This investiture of power was formalized in three ways: 1) Joseph was given the pharaoh's ring, 2) Joseph was arrayed in fine linen clothing, and 3) a gold collar was placed around Joseph's neck.

The symbolism of a king removing his ring and placing it upon the hand of another is well known as an investiture of authority and power in the ancient world.8] A vizier who was given the pharaoh's signet ring was known officially as The Royal Seal Bearer.[9] The wearing of fine linen garments, so thin as to be semi-transparent, seem to have been a sign of royalty and great prestige in ancient Egypt. Princes and princesses and members of their household are often depicted wearing semi-transparent linen clothing. The placement of a gold collar around the neck is a uniquely ancient Egyptian custom called the conferment of the Gold of Praise.[10]

There are two well-known depictions of this ceremony. The first one shows Pharaoh Seti I sitting on his throne under an ornate canopy. Before him are two servants placing a gold collar around the neck of a priest. The second depiction shows Akhenaten and his queen standing on their balcony tossing gold collars to one of the gods. Though there are almost 40 known depictions and written references to the investiture ceremony, none pre-date the Eighteenth Dynasty.[11] The story of Joseph occurred during the Eighteenth Dynasty. Circa 1550-1300 BCE

8. "And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son who is born you shall throw into the river, and every daughter you shall let live." (Exodus 1:22)

One of the things that frustrate Biblical scholars is that the infamous pharaoh is never called by his name; he is simply referred to as pharaoh. We have no way of identifying which pharaoh it was, based solely on the Biblical text. However, referring to the ruler simply as "the pharaoh" was the accepted practice in ancient Egypt. Tomb engravings and government missives often refer to the king simply as "Pharaoh." This practice continued until about 1000 B.C.E.[12] After that time, the pharaoh would be referred to by name. Bible critics should surely find it surprising that the Biblical "author(s)" were aware of this.

9. Joseph's father, Jacob, was brought down from Canaan to Egypt. After many years, Jacob died. "And Joseph ordered his servants, the physicians, to embalm his father…" (Genesis 50:2)

Embalming was a practice unique to Egypt. There are only Egyptian mummies; there are no Canaanite, Babylonian, Assyrian, or any other mummies.

10. "And these are the names of the sons of Israel, who came to Egypt" (Exodus 1:1)

The Hebrew name for Egypt is Mitzrayim. The name is unusual because the suffix yim implies a plural. The singular form would be Mitzar. The ancient Egyptians themselves referred to their land in the plural, Tawy, which means "Two Lands." Egypt was composed of two lands. There was Upper Egypt to the south and Lower Egypt to the north. At times, the two lands had different kings and at times the two lands were united. The name Tawy, Two Lands, would refer to a united Egypt. The plural Hebrew name merely reflects the plural Egyptian name as it was called during the Eighteen Dynasty.

11. "…but God made me (Joseph) a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt (Genesis 45:8)".

Joseph, in his capacity of adviser to the king, calls himself "Father to Pharaoh" (Genesis 45:8). This title was in fact the very title given to royal advisers in ancient Egypt.[13] 12. "And the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, and the name of one was Shifrah (Exodus 1:15)" The beginning of the book of Exodus makes reference to the Hebrew midwife, Shifrah A papyrus (Papyrus Brooklyn 35.1446) lists the names of more than 40 Semitic female slaves. One of those female slaves was named Shifrah. Clearly, it was an authentic name of the era. 13 &14. "Go yourselves and take for yourselves straw where you can find it but do not diminish from your work anything." (Exodus 5:11)

Pharaoh ordered his taskmasters and their underlings not to supply the Israelite slaves with the straw that was needed to make the bricks. The slaves would have to find and cut the straw themselves and still furnish the required numbers of bricks.

The verse is telling us two things that are not widely known. First, that straw was used in the manufacture of bricks in ancient Egypt. This was not the practice in Mesopotamia, where baked clay, without straw, was used. In the land of Canaan, stone, not brick, was the primary building material. Only in Egypt were bricks made of mud and straw. Clay mixed with straw results in bricks that are three times as strong as those made without straw because fluids in the straw release humic acid and harden the bricks.[14]

If the "Biblical author(s)" were making up the whole story of the Israelite enslavement in Egypt, they would have drawn upon local brick-making practice, which was fashioning bricks from stone. Or, they would have drawn upon Mesopotamian plain clay practice since, according to many historians, the Jews had recently returned from Mesopotamia (Babylon) when the so-called "authors" made up the Biblical story.

Second, the verse is telling us that a tally of the bricks made by the slaves was recorded. An ancient Egyptian scroll (Louvre Leather Roll 1274) tells us that tallies of bricks made by slaves were in fact recorded. The scroll is critical of "Paherypedjet son of Paser," one of the 40 overseers of Rameses II, who failed to deliver his quota of 2,000 bricks. It goes on to say that the shortfall was because the slaves "could not gather the required amount of straw." As a result, the slaves were beaten.[15]

15. "The Lord God of the Hebrews has met with us (Moses and Aaron); and now let us go, we beseech you, three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God" (Exodus 3:18)

It seems to be the height of audacity for someone to ask that slaves be given time off for a holiday. However, an ancient Egyptian text (Louvre Leather Roll 1274) indicates that workers were granted time off for their religious holidays. Similarly, a text discovered in the workmen's village of Deir el-Medineh states that slave-workers had gone off "to offer to their god." One would think that slaves requesting time off for religious holidays would be out of the question but these texts show that such requests were in fact granted.[16].

16. "…but God made me (Joseph) a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt (Genesis 45:8)".

There are those who argue that it is unlikely that a Semite (such as Joseph) would have been appointed viceroy of Egypt. However, Sir Alan H. Gardiner, one of the premier Egyptologists of the early 20th century, points out that it was not that an uncommon occurrence for foreigner to rise to a position of power in ancient Egypt.[17] In fact, in 1980 a new tomb was discovered in Saqqara, Egypt, about 18 miles south of Cairo. It was the burial chamber of Aperel. He was a Semite, though not necessarily an Israelite. He was the royal vizier under Amenhotep III and Akhenaten of the Eighteenth Dynasty, the same dynasty that saw Joseph's rise to power.[18]

17. "And the Egyptians made the people of Israel serve with rigor. And they made their lives bitter with hard slavery, in mortar, and in brick, and in all kinds of service in the field; all their service, which they made them serve, was with rigor." (Exodus 1;13-14)

There is no record of foreign labor being conscripted prior to the Eighteenth Dynasty.

The consensus among scholars is that the time frame of the Exodus story, whether it is real or not, takes place during the Eighteenth Dynasty It is interesting to note that there is no record of foreign labor being conscripted prior to the Eighteenth Dynasty.[19] Before the Eighteenth Dynasty, foreign slaves were either purchased in the slave market or were captives of war. In addition, those slaves were only used for domestic purposes or to serve in temples. Having the Israelites, who were not captives nor purchased, serve as brick-makers was unique to the Eighteenth Dynasty.[20]

We can readily see that the Torah does contain numerous hints of contemporary life in ancient Egypt. The hints are subtle but they are there. "Turn it over and turn it over; it is all there" (Ethics of the Fathers, 5:22).

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About the Author

Rabbi Leibel Reznick has been a senior lecturer in Talmudic studies in Rockland County, New York for the past 25 years. He has authored three books (The Holy Temple Revisited, A Time to Weep, and The Mystery of Bar Kokhba) and over 100 magazine and newspaper articles on Jewish History, archaeology, and religious and social issues.

The opinions expressed in the comment section are the personal views of the commenters. Comments are moderated, so please keep it civil.

Visitor Comments: 17

(17)
Thomas Zaccone,
July 1, 2009 8:36 PM

More Evidence of the Torah's Authenticity

When Joseph died, the Torah says he was prepared for burial and morned for a certain number of days - I believe it was 70 days. That was the time frame the Egyptians normally took to prepare an important body for mummification and burial. Bob Brier, the New York Egyptologist pointed this out. He also mentioned that Moses is an Egyptian name, not a Hebrew one - e.g.
Pharoahs Thutmose, Ahmose, Kamose. There is also a refernce to HOW the Egyptians should observe Hebrew women giving birth as they sat on a stool - the usual position for a woman who was giving brith in Ancient Egypt.

(16)
L. Marcus,
September 1, 2008 8:50 PM

Date of the Torah

I may be mistaken but I do not believe the "Egyptologists" who date the writing of the Torah at almost a thousand years after the Exodus claim that the authors made up the stories. They certainly must acknowledge that there had to be a strong oral tradition based on stories originlly told since the occurence of the events depicted, that these stories easily might have contained details that otherwise would have been unknown, but that it was only many centuries later that the oral tradition was finally written down in agreed-upon codified form, no?

George Syncellus
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George Syncellus (died after 810) was a Byzantine chronicler and ecclesiastic. He had lived many years in Palestine as a monk, and came to Constantinople to fill the important post of syncellus to Tarasius, patriarch of Constantinople. The syncellus served as the patriarch's private secretary, was generally a bishop, and was the most important ecclesiastical person in the capital after the patriarch himself, and often the patriarch's successor. However George did not succeed Tarasius, and he retired to a monastery where he wrote his Extract of Chronography (Ekloge chronographias), which covered events of the world from Adam and Eve to the beginning of Diocletian's reign.
His chronicle, as its title implies, is more of a chronological table with notes than a history. George continued the chronological structure of Sextus Julius Africanus, arranging his events strictly in order of time, and naming them in the year which they happened. The text is continually interrupted by long tables of dates, so markedly that Krumbacher described it as being "rather a great historical list [Geschichtstabelle] with added explanations, than a universal history." George reveals himself as a staunch upholder of orthodoxy, and quotes Greek Fathers such as Gregory Nazianzen and John Chrysostom. But in spite of its religious bias and dry and uninteresting character, the fragments of ancient writers and apocryphal books preserved in it make it especially valuable. For instance, considerable portions of the original text of the Chronicle of Eusebius have been restored by the aid of George's work. His chief authorities were Annianus of Alexandria and Panodorus of Alexandria (monks who wrote near the beginning of the 5th century), through whom George acquired much of his knowledge of the history of Manetho, George also relied heavily on Eusebius, Dexippus and Julius Africanus.
Syncellus's chronicle was continued after his death by his friend Theophanes. Anastasius, the Papal Librarian, composed a Historia tripartita in Latin, from the chronicles of Syncellus, Theophanes, and Patriarch Nicephorus. This work, written between 873 and 875, spread Syncellus's preferenced dates for historical events through the West. Meanwhile, in the East George's fame was gradually overshadowed by that of Theophanes.

(14)
L. Wilson,
August 18, 2008 9:57 AM

Exodus pharoah known by Syncellus

Just in case the good rabbi is not aware, Syncellus clearly identifies the pharaoh of the Exodus as Amenhotep III. It's not a mystery. Further architect Dame Kathleen Kenyon limits the fall of Jericho to 1350-1325 BCE which also points to Amenhotep III/Akhenaton. Further RC14 dating for the fall of Rehov by Shishak likewise points to Amenhotep III/Akhenaten. So why are we pretending it's a mystery? It's not.

(13)
kernkehilla,
August 16, 2008 11:06 PM

wrote: (12) Albert E., 11/8/2008
Fluctuations
.. a graph at the bottom showing fluctuations of the Nile. from 4500 B.C. to A.D 395.
Hi Albert,
that graph dating is built on faulty assumptions.
The first capital of Mizrayim the second son of Ham was not even built till 7 years after Hebron I believe built for a grandson of Ham via his son Cannan.
Egypto,ogists are all over the place on dating and identifying reigns and a 1,000 year error especially where carbon dating based on faulty logic of circular reasoning as almost all isotope dating over 3,500 - 4,000 years is and needs calibrating for post flood radiaition build.
So its an ignorant joke to say any egypt history over 4,000 years.
Mabul/Noah's flood 1656
ice age 340 years
1996 continental separation and dispersion from Bavel/Tower Babel
Today 16 Av 5768 first day of the week.
memo for addl proof and sources.

(12)
Albert E.,
August 11, 2008 10:47 PM

Fluctuations

Bert says: Found what I wanted. The National Geographich map from April 2001 titled, "The Egyptians" has a graph at the bottom showing fluctuations of the Nile. from 4500 B.C. to A.D 395. "Changes in the level of the Nile . . . seem to coincide with Egypt's political ups and down. An unusually low river left cultivated fields dry and barren, a swollen river damaged irrigation systems. Either extreme brought famine and chaos." From about 1300 B.C. to about 900 B.C. the Nile, accord to this graphic, was at a very low level. Food supply would have been less and chaos ensued? Makes sense. And there was precedent for this sort of thing. From the same graphic, "Wall carving of a famine scene", shows skeletal figures, "Circa 2350 B.C. to 2150 B.C., skeletal figures . . . foreshadow a famine". Joseph, having records, meticulously kept by the Egyptians, COULD have predicted with some degree of certainty, the seven years of plenty to be followed by seven years of lean? There was and is a discernible pattern that can be understood with some ease?
YES?
Bert.

(11)
shuki,
August 8, 2008 9:59 PM

the eyptophiles and afro-centrists cannot abide with the orign of the torah and the jewish people...so they go to great lengths to 'disprove' saying things like moses was raised as an egyptian and learnd his spirituality there. your piece is informative,however, it'd be helpful to do a follow up piece and quote chazal, the talmud to really see. people may hesitate, but egypt was seen as the lowest, darkest place. the children of israel fell to the 49th level...if they would've fallen to the 50th they couldn't have been redeemed. but no one in the academic world will talk about that, it's too politically in correct. i was at the sphinx and pyramids...no spiritual energy there. and compared to yerushalayim? no way to compare. but, as i said, people, due to ingrained ,deep, often subconscious anti semitism refuse to give the jews and israel the proper credit for the torah and H' , the G-d of Israel as the Masterof the Universe.

(10)
rmp,
August 8, 2008 5:08 PM

have seen some other such as vegtebles, fish ,..we ate

believe 18th dinasty way off, early kingdom w/ Joseph designing stepped pyramid and canal system as per James Long riddle of the Exodus much more reasonable.
Lack of record of our enslavemet during the 83 years befor 2448 Exodus no proof as Egypt was decimated, run over and record continuity destroyed.
Ramsis 1 and 2 got there names from region or store city called Premiuum or Rampant Horse 'Ram' - exalted 'Seus' horse (etymolgy horse from rejoice /Sous edonic root the word and origin of speeches Isaac Mozesson. see the recent complex creation chapter on dating ancient egypt.. link partners page pearlmancta.com

(9)
Ruth Housman,
August 5, 2008 8:08 AM

Out of Egypt

A fascinating analysis and to me, entirely truth except perhaps for the dates and I read with interest the commentary by J Long. I have a lot of trouble contemplating dates as it's so "long" ago and so I am glad there are others, so thoughtful and talented, who can pull these threads together.

It seems to me that time does telescope and that what happened yesterday, particularly this story, is so relevant always to the present.

Thank you for a fascinating article.

(8)
lele,
August 4, 2008 6:37 PM

Amazing!

i am an avid reader of ancient Egypt. it is quite interesting to see how Egyptologists have shown that the torah supports the facts. in addition my teacher has told us tht at the time of enslavement the food for slaves was wheat cakes and beer-thereason why we have nochametz on pesach.

(7)
Folke Holtz,
August 4, 2008 1:33 PM

It was earlier

It must be earlier thant the 18th dynasti since Avrham was walking around Canaan around the year 2000 B. C E.

However it is very confirming articles against the so called Bilbecritics which tends to disbelieve and disregard all Biblehistory.

(6)
JLong,
August 4, 2008 11:48 AM

Great Article---With One Exception

I am loathe to diminish such a fine article by Rabbi Reznick. It's thoughtful and well researched--except for one glaring piece of information that the good rabbi repeats twice. He states that Joseph ruled somewhere around the 18th Dynasty. This is problematic since that era was one of the more stable periods in Egyptian history and nothing remotely resembling the dramatic events of the Exodus are recorded. However, if we look to Chazal (the Sages) we can discover amazing parallels between the accounts found in the Midrash and the Egyptian annals that would point us to the end of the Old Kingdom era--specifically the Six Dynasty. It was at the close of this period that the rule of three pharaohs matches exactly the rule as described in such sources as Me Am Loez. We are told that the pharaoh sitting on the throne at the time of Moses' birth was called Melol and that he reigned for 94 years. At his death, his son Adikham ruled and did so for four years. These two figures can be found--along with the length of their reigns in the Abydos List and the Turin Papyrus. In these Egytian records they are called Pepi II and Neferkare the Younger. THEY ALSO SAT ON THE THRONE 94 YEARS AND 4 YEARS. At the conclusion of their rule, Egypt fell into a dark, chaotic period lasting hundreds of years. The very next ruler was Netiquirti, a woman pharaoh. And by the way, Joseph was very likely the same figure known in Egyptian history as Imhotep, a Prime Minister who live in the 3rd and 4th Dynasty. Imhotep possessed the same talents as Joseph and ,just like Joseph, Imhotep lived to the age of 110 years.

(5)
Tzvi,
August 4, 2008 11:23 AM

I have also heard that Moshe is an Egyptian word, meaning "drawn out of the water."

(4)
Anonymous,
August 4, 2008 7:28 AM

Joseph's beard

Thank you Rabbi Reznick for a well researched article.
I take issue however with point #5, regarding Joseph's beard. Rashi clearly tells us that when the brothers met Joseph, they didn't recognize him due to his beard (which they never saw before). (Unless one can say that since Joseph was the the new viceroy, his status became like Pharoh, which required a beard.)
I am of the understanding though, that this verse which says that Joseph shaved, means that he took a haircut.

(3)
Albert E.,
August 3, 2008 9:58 PM

Hair

Bert says: The Egyptians considered body hair to be dirty and repugnant. They would shave the entire body of all hair, but then thought that bald persons looked ugly, so they they donned wigs. Such are the inconsistencies of human culture. As for the seven years of plenty and the seven lean years, more on that later.

Bert.

(2)
Esther G,
August 3, 2008 1:27 PM

to Daniela

I don't know about adultery, but incest was commonly practiced within the royal family.

(1)
Daniela,
August 3, 2008 9:22 AM

This reminds me of one thing I've ALWAYS wanted to know !

I want to know if there is any archeological or hieroglyphic evidence that Egypt at the time of the Exodus was rampant with adultery. I'm curious to know if the Torah account of the immorality of Egyptians matches that of Egyptology. Anyone have any insight on this ?

I've been striving to get more into spirituality. But it seems that every time I make some progress, I find myself slipping right back to where I started. I'm getting discouraged and feel like a failure. Can you help?

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

Spiritual slumps are a natural part of spiritual growth. There is a cycle that people go through when at times they feel closer to God and at times more distant. In the words of the Kabbalists, it is "two steps forward and one step back." So although you feel you are slipping, know that this is a natural process. The main thing is to look at your overall progress (over months or years) and be able to see how far you've come!

This is actually God's ingenious way of motivating us further. The sages compare this to teaching a baby how to walk. When the parent is holding on, the baby shrieks with delight and is under the illusion that he knows how to walk. Yet suddenly, when the parent lets go, the child panics, wobbles and may even fall.

At such times when we feel spiritually "down," that is often because God is letting go, giving us the great gift of independence. In some ways, these are the times when we can actually grow the most. For if we can move ourselves just a little bit forward, we truly acquire a level of sanctity that is ours forever.

Here is a practical tool to help pull you out of the doldrums. The Sefer HaChinuch speaks about a great principle in spiritual growth: "The external awakens the internal." This means that although we may not experience immediate feelings of closeness to God, eventually, by continuing to conduct ourselves in such a manner, this physical behavior will have an impact on our spiritual selves and will help us succeed. (A similar idea is discussed by psychologists who say: "Smile and you will feel happy.")

That is the power of Torah commandments. Even if we may not feel like giving charity or praying at this particular moment, by having a "mitzvah" obligation to do so, we are in a framework to become inspired. At that point we can infuse that act of charity or prayer with all the meaning and lift it can provide. But if we'd wait until being inspired, we might be waiting a very long time.

May the Almighty bless you with the clarity to see your progress, and may you do so with joy.

In 1940, a boatload 1,600 Jewish immigrants fleeing Hitler's ovens was denied entry into the port of Haifa; the British deported them to the island of Mauritius. At the time, the British had acceded to Arab demands and restricted Jewish immigration into Palestine. The urgent plight of European Jewry generated an "illegal" immigration movement, but the British were vigilant in denying entry. Some ships, such as the Struma, sunk and their hundreds of passengers killed.

If you seize too much, you are left with nothing. If you take less, you may retain it (Rosh Hashanah 4b).

Sometimes our appetites are insatiable; more accurately, we act as though they were insatiable. The Midrash states that a person may never be satisfied. "If he has one hundred, he wants two hundred. If he gets two hundred, he wants four hundred" (Koheles Rabbah 1:34). How often have we seen people whose insatiable desire for material wealth resulted in their losing everything, much like the gambler whose constant urge to win results in total loss.

People's bodies are finite, and their actual needs are limited. The endless pursuit for more wealth than they can use is nothing more than an elusive belief that they can live forever (Psalms 49:10).

The one part of us which is indeed infinite is our neshamah (soul), which, being of Divine origin, can crave and achieve infinity and eternity, and such craving is characteristic of spiritual growth.

How strange that we tend to give the body much more than it can possibly handle, and the neshamah so much less than it needs!